Shoe fastener



March 2 1926.

B. RAUTIO SHOE FASTENER Filed July 1925 INVENTOR. EENUAM/N Phi/7'19 Patented Mar. 2, 1926.

I A'EETS --BENJAMINRRAUTIYO,1OF nnrnorr, MICHIGAN.

. SHOE FASTENER.

Application 'filed" m 23,- 1925. "Serial" Noi' 453490.

To'all whom it" may concern Be it known that I,-BnNJAisnn Rnorio, a citizen or the United States, residing at Detroit, in the-county'ofWVayne and State ofldiclii'gangihave invented certainnew and useful Improvements in a ShoeFaste-ner, of which thefollowing-is a specil'ication.

-My invention relates to anew and=useful improvement in a shoe fastener adapted "for mounting on theupperof a shoe adjacent each" of the meeting edges, and has at its object the:'provisionof a shoe fastener: of this class whichwillbe comfortable to the wearer "and relieve the foot" from "excessive pressure.

Another objectofthe" invention is the provision of an elastic fastener of this class which maybe mounted on the meetingedges of the upper ofthe shoea-r'rd-so arranged as to permit its permanent 'm'o'untin'gon the shoe and so constructed as'to, 1n addition to serving as a fastener; afford means-for securing the tied ends of the shoe lace.

Other objects willap'pear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the coinl nnation and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will bebest understood from a reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of, a shoe embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the invention, showing parts in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on substantially line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4; is a fragmentary sectional View showing the male portion of a snap fastener in elevation.

The invention is especially adapted for use with shoes, the meeting edges of the uppers of which are held in adjacent relation by means of shoe laces. .Nhen the shoe is laced tightly, particularly in the case of lowcut shoes, and the lace tied at the proper position, the upper portion of the lacing, through its pressure on the foot, causes pain and discomfort to the wearer. To relieve this painful pressure with some persons, it is necessary that the lacing be loosened so that the shoe is not securely fastened to the foot. With the present invention a fastening device is provided which will retain the shoe tightly laced at all times and eliminate the objectieimbl e tures int ntional.

In "the drawings Thaveshown the invent-ion applied to; low-cut shoe *7, the upper of which has'portions 8 and 9the edges of which lare de'signecl' to' be drawn into close relation when tlieshoe is tightly laced,

Mounted on the upper at each of the meeting edges adjacent the. upper end thereof, is a metallic plate 10.? l rojected 'through the metallic plate is a stud'll, which serves as "themalei mrtion of a-sn'ap' fastenen The lower end of the stud 11 isprovidedwitha head 12, having a beveled upper surfae As shownin Fig. 4, the plate "10-is provided with an opening for the reception offithe stud l1, ancl tl eplateuis provrdeid with the inclined portion adapted to embrace the beveled surface 11. The outer end ofthe plate-10 is-provided with an eyelet 14. A lining 15 is secured on the-inner sides ofthe "slioe upper, the plate anddin'ing being snitably stitched to the'upper-of the shoe. A

collar 11' is pressed uporr the stud 11 in a press fit" so as" to assist {in retaining the stud 11 in its mountings in 'theupper 'S.

A fem aleportion-ofa snap fastener is provided which isadapted to ed-operate with the male portion 11 in the well-known manner. Secured to and projecting outwardly from one side of the female portion 16 is a tab 17, which may be made from leather or other suitable material, so as to afford a gripping surface to disengage the female portion 16 from the male portion 11,

at will. Carried on the female portion. 16 is a metal plate 18, having one end projecting therefrom and provided with the eyelet 19.

A buckle is provided which comprises side portions 20 and 20 having a centrally disposed rib 21, the structure of this buckle being quite well known.

A slip buckle having side members 25 and 25' and a central rib 26 is provided, a hook portion 27 being formed on the outer surface of the front wall.

A strip of elastic 22 is threaded into the eyelets 19 and 14; and into engagement with the end portions 25 and 25', shownin F 2. The end 23 of the elastic is pro-- jected rearwardly of the end portion 20 and thence forwardly of the rib 21 and again rearwardly of the end portion :20. The end 2 1 is passed around the rib 21 and doubled upon itself so as to lie r-e:-irwa1.'dly of the end portion 20. The elastic when laced in this manner on the buckle and the p bu kle is e ur y astened in p it-i n,-

as will be evident. However, if desired the end portion 20 may be provided on its inner edge with notches or teeth to engage the elastic and further resist its withdrawal from its laced position.

The construction is such that when the de vice is mounted upon a shoe as shown in Fig. 2 and the female portions 16 are snapped on the male portions 11, the elastic 22 will serve to yieldably hold the portions -8 and 9 of the upper in closely drawn relation, the proximity of the edges of these uppers being dependent upon the closeness of lacing which is effected by the elastic strip 22. The elastic serves to eliminate the use of the lace in the uppereyelet of the shoe, the lace 28 being threaded in the remaining eyelets ot the shoe in the usual manner. The tied ends of the lace 28 may be secured by the forwardly projecting hook 2 7, or, if desired, the lace 28 may be tied upon the hook 27. It is evident that'when thesnap fasteners are disengaged that arseparation ot the portions 8 and 9 of the upper may be had sufliciently to permit'a removal of the shoe.

.Vhile I have illustrated and described the preferred form ot construction, I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details of structure shown in the drawings, but desire to avail myself ofsuch variations and modifications as come within the scope of the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

vwith said beveled surface, said stud forming a male portion of a snap fastener; a 1

female portion of a snap fastener-tor cooperating with each of said studs; a gripping member mounted on'each of said female portions and )rojeeting outwardly therefrom; a plate carried by each of said female portions and provided with an eyelet: a slip buckle; a securing hook mounted on the outer surface of said slip buckle; and an elastic strip threaded into each of said eyelets and into said slip buckle; and means for fastening the ends of said elastic strip for preventing their removal from said eyelets, said elastic strip servingas a yieldable tas toning for retaining the said edges in the upon disengagement of said female portions from said male portions the farther relative separation of said edges.

desired relative positionand for permitting In testimony whereof, I have signed the foregoing specification.

BENJAMIN RAUTIO. 

